Recreating History

Helen Ayer Patton granddaughter of General Patt and George Patton Waters Grandson of General Patton endorse Denny Hair’s book series Patton Hidden in Plain Sight

Patton Hidden in Plain Sight:
The Story of Patton and his Third Army, Hidden in Print for 75 years
“The Images Uncovered”

I am pleased to announce that the first book on a series of books I have written is now available world wide, through Amazon.

Purchase "The Images Uncovered" Now At Amazon.com

Most, who know me, will tell you how excited I am. The “Patton Hidden in Plain Sight” series of books has been one of the hardest things I have ever done.  It was worth doing because we owe so much to the Greatest Generation, the generation of our parents and grandparents.

This is the first of four books in a series called “Patton Hidden in Plain Sight, The Story of Patton and his Third Army, Hidden in Print for 75 years. The “Images Uncovered” is the photo-book in the series and can be read without having to have the other three in the series. The rest of the series, a triogy, will not be available until mid to late 2016. This book has many photograpghs not found in other books, some in color for the first time. If you are a General Patton fan, or are just curious about him, this book gets to the truth and separates fact from fiction. This book is endorsed by George Patton Waters, one of the grandsons to General Patton. It is also endorsed by noted author Robert Hayes who helped General Oscar Koch write G2-Intelligence for Patton.

“The Images Uncovered”

This is the photo book, a coffee table book that is a result of thousands of hours of research and covers new information about General George S. Patton Jr. Many of the images have been colorized and some have never before been published and Hidden in Plain Sight since WWII. There are images from the rare and top secret Third Army After Action reports and many not seen since they were first printed in 1945. Included are rare personal accounts from General Patton’s staff with insider’s view of Patton’s Third Army Headquarters.

You can follow General Patton, through the “Images Uncovered” from his doubts to his triumphs as he leads the famous United States Third Army across Europe. Many of the images are from General Patton’s own collection, the Library of Congress and the Patton Museum at Fort Knox. Thousands of sources were researched to correct the misconceptions and separate the facts from the fiction, and the movie and his career.

The book has been meticulously researched for almost ten years and is the first of a series of books covering Patton and his Third Army in WWII. This is a stand along book and a companion book to the Patton Hidden in Plain Sight series that will be out in 2016. This book may not be suited for a young audiences due to Patton’s colorful language and descriptive accounts of the Nazi concentration camps that Third Army liberated.

Denny Hair is one of the world’s foremost experts on General Patton. As such, he’s been a guest lecturer on the life and times of General Patton at hundreds of events, including veteran reunions, military history museums and lectures in the United States, as well as abroad. He was honored to be the guest lecturer for the United States Army to commemorate the 64th Anniversary of General Patton’s death in Heidelberg Germany, the hospital where Patton died.

General Patton Books Project
Patton Book Project

“Patton Hidden in Plain Sight, The Story of Patton and his Third Army, Hidden in Print for 75 years by Denny Hair

Your help is needed to finance the final portion of the most unique set of books ever published about General Patton and his Third Army. For the first time, a day by day account has been written in book form. Because of the way the Three Volume trilogy set is being formatted, a project of this size and magnitude has some real cost associated with it. Traditional publishers have shied away due to the sheer volume of the information. The only way to get this published was to do it ourselves.

Volumes One, Two, and Three have nearly 600 pages each and Volume Four, which is a Coffee Table; Stand Alone Pictorial, is approximately 250 pages of rich color and black and white images of Patton, his Third Army Staff and those that played a pivotal role in Patton’s Third Army. Many of these have never been published.

The cost associated with this book collection, including finalized research, editing graphic art, pre-design formatting, and publishing is near $30,000. To finish the books we are asking for donations to raise the money needed. Some $12,000 has been spent in exhaustive research. Additional monies were spent in the first and second editing of the manuscript that goes to make up the first two volumes. This set of books has been almost 10 years in the planning. It has been a labor of love and needs to be made available to the public. We have a team standing by to finish the final edits and as soon as the money is available, the books will be published.

Once this book project is funded and in the market place, any funds remaining will be used to place the research material on the web for school projects and future historians to write about. It is our intention to identify all of the military units and divisions that fought under Patton and let the web site grow and grow.

Text and images were taken from thousands of sources including the Library of Congress, National Archives, The Patton Museum, and previously unpublished works hidden in plain sight for over 70 years, thus this reason for the title. Some 86 gigs of information was amassed with over 2000 images. Far too much research and photographs to be used at once. The pertinent information was extracted and made into book form.

A very rare and complete set of secret Third Army After Action Reports were purchased and many images are used for the first time, in context, using this extremely rare two volume set of books. The After Action Reports were ordered published under the authority of General Patton, personally, in 1945. These two volumes had a short production run of only 182 copies. There are very few complete volumes in existence today.

“Patton Hidden in Plain Sight, The Story of Patton and his Third Army, Hidden in Print for 75 years by Denny Hair. Hair is one of the world’s experts on General Patton. He has just completed the manuscript to the most definitive book ever written on Patton’s Headquarters and his Third Army.”  This, coming from those who have read some of the unpublished work. 

This day-by-day account begins shortly after the “slapping incident”, where, in November 1943, we find the General at one of the lowest moments of his career. The book concludes in July as he is given a Guard of Honor by his beloved Third Army and covers Patton’s triumphant return to the States where he is received as a war hero.  Through the use of Patton’s unabridged diary, never before published in its entirety; and many first-hand accounts from the men who served in his army headquarters; the reader is brought through a day by day account of what really transpired in Patton’s inner circle headquarters’ staff. There are quoted summaries from the official and secret Army After Action Reports; and Ultra intelligence reports never before revealed in this type of format.

The Greatest Generation

The book covers the headquarters and the battle record of Patton’s Third Army. The Greatest Generation who are now almost all gone from us but whose memory will never pass. General Patton commanded them, in his Third Army, to one victory after another.

One of General Patton’s grandsons and son of four star General John Waters stated,

“I believe that when this book is published it will be a work that will change the history often associated with my grandfather. Denny and I once sat on a porch together at Fort Oglethorpe Georgia, over-looking the drill field where my grandfather had played polo many years before. We exchanged stories of my grandfather. I was child when I knew my grandfather and on that evening in Georgia, he came alive again, though our exchanges. I would hope that the story told by Denny Hair will someday make it to again the big screen in movies and introduce yet another generation to the Greatest Generation that my grandfather and father fought alongside of. This is a story of heroes that should be repeated over and over again.”

Hair presents General Patton as he really was and not just as one of America’s greatest and most controversial Generals. “Georgie” as he was known in private, was often a quiet kind, generous man with a gentlemanly manner. This too is the real man and one not previously understood. He was also the “Old Blood and Guts, Hell raiser often portrayed but in private he was a loving caring man who loved his men deeply. Hair explores Patton’s battles, against the enemy, and against the political barriers that impeded his efforts to quickly end the war.

Denny Hair served in the Houston Police Department for 31 years as an Instructor, Investigator, and Historian, thus, approached the research and construction of this work as a trained police investigator where all sources were referenced and triangulated for validity. Hair was the Houston’s Police department’s founder and first director of the Houston Police Museum and ran it for 25 consecutive years, until his retirement in 2006. He taught the History of HPD in the Houston Police Academy. The book charges the reader to consider all of the evidence that will allow them to make their own informed decision about General Patton.

Above all, the book honors the Greatest Generation and their part in Patton’s Headquarters and the fantastic contributions they made to win the war.

Additionally, the book provides in-depth information concerning individual events, relationships and wartime technology (i.e. weapons) through shaded text boxes that the reader can read as they go along or return to at a later time as they do not disturb the flow of the main text.

This is the book that sets the record straight; if it had been published immediately after the war, the political fortunes of General Eisenhower, and many others, would have been quite different.

The book includes first person “inner circle” accounts of the circumstances surrounding the “secret” relationships. Did these relationship jeopardize national security and was an ULTRA secret inadvertently released by Kay Summersby?

Was a secret journal kept by one of General Patton’s key intelligent officers revealing the inner secrets of Patton’s trusted staff? Newly found, never before published, Ultra Intelligence secret communications, hidden in dusty files are revealed in the text for the first time. Was there top secret evidence of a German super bomb? Did General Patton have an ongoing affair with his half niece, Jean Gordon? Hair presents the evidence for the reader to decide for themselves.

Could General Patton, had he not been stopped, entered into Germany with his Third Army in the fall of 1944? The question was asked of General Bradley. His unguarded answer will astound you. Did a German Major General, in his full uniform actually give a briefing to Patton’s top General’s on how to take the Siegfried Line. Who was he? This question is answered and he is identified for the first time since giving that briefing in 1944. Did one of General Patton’s staff actually predict the Battle of the Bulge nine days before it happened? Who was he and was his warning heeded?

What is being said about this book?

One of General Patton’s Grandsons wrote

“I would like to add my endorsement and my support to seeing that this fantastic book gets published. For years now, Denny Hair has shared parts of his manuscript and photos with me. I have been fascinated as to the many facts brought out that I have not seen in other works. His attention to detail and finding out what really happened in my grandfather’s command of Third Army has been enlightening even for me, as I have lived in my grandfather’s shadow of all my life. To the world he was General Patton but to me he was Old Patton… I believe that when this book is published it will be a work that will change the history often associated with my grandfather… ” George Patton Waters

Robert Hays, Author of “G-2 Intelligence for Patton” and “Patton’s Oracle,” stated, in part, in a page long endorsement of the manuscript of this book, “…I found your approach to research to be impressive. At virtually every turn, in line with your experience as a homicide detective, you added corroborating facts to build a strong case. Not only does this give full credibility, but it also helps bring perspective because the reader sees things from the point of view of numerous people who were principal players at the time. You managed to gain access to sources many experienced researchers might have missed…. “

(Denny Hair was a Crime Scene Unit investigator and though he held the rank of Officer, he work on homicides alongside of the detectives assigned to the cases.)

From Carlos Manning 100th Infantry Division US Army Retired, “…I do not look upon the reading experience as entertainment but as a final act of academic exercise on a period of history I lived through. No greater quest has man than seeking the truth in my opinion. Maybe that idea is from my law enforcement background. Maybe it is from my training in the military, or just my self-born curiosity of the true history. My final word on this book is: thank you Mr. Hair for not going for what would entertain me, but finally telling me the truth.”

What can you expect to see when these books are published?

A brief glimpse of the book with images and text

Volume three, the pictorial, has beautifully colorized images of General Patton and his staff. Here General Gaffey consults a map with Patton and the Third Army top secret Ultra Intelligence officer

Original maps taken from Patton’s War room as they appeared each day showing the progress of the Third US Army troops and opposing German units. Was Patton poised to “Thrust into Germany” in the fall of 1944? What and who stopped him.

Original images from The Patton Papers, Library of Congress were researched and restored to bring you the rich history of General Patton and his Third Army. Here is Patton showing off his beloved Willie, his best friend and constant companion. Learn where Willie came from and the story behind his name.

Where was Patton’s top secret 3rd Army Headquarters in England? Why was it a secret? This image was taken by General Patton as he flew over it in April of 1944.

What did FDR know about General Eisenhower in late 1943 and then gave him the Supreme Allied High Command Anyway?

Many images have been restored to color. Who was this man, a good friend of Patton? Why his diary was a huge source of controversy and what did he know?

What did this inscription to General Patton say on this photograph of “Ike?” Why did it help explain why Patton was not relieved after the slapping incidents?

General Patton’s complete and unabridged diary is used in its entirety throughout the volumes one and two, chronicling his everyday thoughts, each day as he lived them.  What did they reveal that has not been previously known?

Patton gave his famous motivate speech in England to tens of thousands of US troops. What did he really say and how does it differ from the movie version?

Patton loved his English Bull Terrier, Willie. Was his beloved English Bull Terrier the coward the movie made the dog out to be? What other famous General’s dog got in a fight with Willie? What happened?

What was in the top secret War room? Who ran it? This is a page from the photo book, the third volume of the trilogy.

Was Patton’s forces posed to move toward Germany in late August of 1944? Could Patton have closed the Falaise gap and rushed toward Germany? Who stopped him and why?  What top General finally admitted he could have pulled it off?  Why was that fact covered up after the war?

Who is this man? He was a FBI agent and in change of counter intelligence in Europe? What did he ask General Bradley? Why did he have such an interest in General Patton?

This is a picture of General Oscar Koch after he retired.  He was a Colonel in Third Army and was Patton’s G-2. He is considered one the finest intelligence officers of WWII. What did he predict nine days before it happened that could have changed the war? Why was he was not listened too?

This is Chaplain James O’Neil. He was Patton’s Third Army Chief of Chaplains. What was Order No 5? Why was he called to Patton’s office before he wrote the famous prayer used in the Battle of the Bulge.

Why did Chaplain O’Neil write this prayer? Was the movie Patton correct in its depiction of why the prayer was written and when?

Patton’s Field Headquarters in France.  A German General is being ushered away after meeting with General Patton. He was ushered in wearing an American helmet due to Patton being so close to enemy lines and German aircraft bombings were common occurrences on or near Patton’s headquarters.

Patton’s Third Army captured several German generals as the one depicted in this rare image. There was one who actually gave information to General Patton’s staff. He not only gave the information, he was asked to address Patton’s top commanding generals in briefing in November of 1944. He described the defenses of the Siegfried Line in his German Major General Uniform and told them how to take it. Who was this General? This German patriot’s name is reveled for the first time in the book. It has been held secret for over 70 years.

There are rare images of Patton’s command staff that appear in color for the first time and show them in rare times of leisure off duty. Here they are in Nancy, France talking with Movie Star Marlene Dietrich. Why did she have to be kept safe and stay under constant guard? Why did Hitler want her killed? She volunteered for the USO shows knowing this. What did Patton give her?

Rare images, now in color, showing Patton’s Command Car and Jeep at his headquarters in Luxemburg. The photo-book has color images that the first two volumes do not have. The Photo book is a standalone coffee table book but can be used in conjunction with the first two books.

Never before used images of General Patton’s mobile headquarters in the field. Here General Patton is leaving his mobile command and billeting truck on August 26, 1944 in France.

Patton traveled in several military vehicles. He called his jeep a Peep. He had them heavily modified. Why?

Patton had planned a major offense in November 1944 that could have thrust his forces into Germany. This was his third try to do so. This heavily modified jeep was posed to run reconnaissance into Germany and the picture was given to Patton. Why was he stopped, yet again?

Who was this woman? Why is she seen on 35 millimeter developed film in the Patton Papers? Why was she at the meeting between Patton and the Russians?

Rare frontal image of General Patton wearing all of his awards. Where was it taken, by whom and why? Did he give his famous speech wearing these medals and awards?

All three volumes of Patton Hidden in Plain Sight the Story of Patton and his Third Army Hidden in Print for 75 years were researched from as many sources as possible to bring out the truth about General Patton. Patton’s Orderly, Sgt. George Meeks told of his friend, General Patton and what he was really like. He had known Patton and his family and was very close to General Patton. He had been close since 1938.  He knew them all very well. What became of him?

Patton left behind a wealth of information, documents and images after his death. He left more than just that. He left a grateful nation, a beloved family and a winning army and its winning record in Europe.  M/Sgt. Meek’s images, right, was taken at his friends funeral. For him, he had just lost his best friend.

This set of books book had to be written. It is far more than a set of history books. It is a truth about a General, The Greatest Generation and how they, together, toured Europe with the famous US Third Army and conquered the Nazi’s in WWII. This three volume set of books cried out to be written. It had existed in plain sight for over 70 years and is final brought together to tell the story of the Greatest Generation under the command of General Patton.

 

Purchase The Series Now At Amazon.com

Military Trader Vehicles “Patton Hidden Plain Sight Book Review” (PDF)

Reviews From Amazon

5.0 out of 5 stars
Lucky Forward!

By Robert Enzenauer on September 6, 2021

I love this book. I met the author, a retired Police veteran, who is a WW2 re-enactor s General Patton, at a military retirement event of a medical colleague at Fort Sam Houston, TX. The research for the book is incredible, entirely composed of Patton diary entries, and official documents, and diaries and writing of veterans of his staff. I especially enjoyed the description of Patton practicing his famous speech, that he would often edit a bit to make it appropriate for the audience, whether officer, enlisted, etc . describing that Staff aide Stillman kept a copy in his briefcase at all times.

5.0 out of 5 stars
Lucky Forward!

By Tom Diaz on January 18, 2016

A wonderful volume for anyone who has an interest in the Third Army in the Second World War, Gen. George S. Patton, or the soldiers he commanded. This book was of special interest to me (disclosure here) because my father was Patton’s bandmaster and I was able to provide the author, Mr. Denny G. Hair, with some information about the Third Army Band and photographs that he had not been able to find. But, my personal interest aside, this is one of those great illuminating photo texts about “the greatest generation.” Many of the photos in here are worth a thousand words in their own right.

5.0 out of 5 stars
A treasure of meaningful images
1st reviews in from Amazon

By Robert on November 9, 2015
Verified Purchase

Denny Hair has done a remarkable job of putting together a valuable collection of photos of Gen. George S. Patton Jr. and others, along with the varied physical elements (both internal and external) related to his command of the U.S. Third Army and its march across Europe in World War II. The title—“in Plain Sight” notwithstanding—many of these surely were stored away in remote locations where they rarely if ever would have been seen by the general public, or even military historians. To have them all together in the pages of a single book gives anyone interested in Patton himself or the war in general a treasure of meaningful images. Through the photos and just enough descriptive information to put them into context, Hair takes the reader from pre-European invasion days all the way through to the end of the war. He provides through-the-lens views of virtually every aspect of combat as it happened in the Patton command……

5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Study of Patton
By D.W.DAVIS U.S. Army [retired] on November 2, 2015 Great book / well researched / highly recommended for the military historian

Finally a book that describes the inside story of General Patton

5.0 out of 5 stars
By Alan T. Jones on November 9, 2015

Finally a book that describes the inside story of General Patton, and his 3rd Army. This book is a must for historians, and anyone interested in reading about General Patton, and 3rd Army.

Will be of great interest for military historians and Patton fans By C. O’Connor on November 5, 2015 Interesting view of General Patton, presenting many not widely known historical events and published photographs. Will be of great interest for military historians and Patton fans.

5.0 out of 5 stars
By LeslieD

Captivating images and wonderful story of Patton’s life.

5.0 out of 5 stars
By Sandra Toney on January 15, 2016

Have you ever seen a photo of one of the world’s greatest generals in a bathing suit? It is in Denny Hair’s book along with hundreds of other photos, maps, stories, and more. If you are a student of history, especially military history, this book is a must. Your eyes are drawn to the next photo along with well-researcheD commentary to go along with it. We’ll done, Mr. Hair!

5.0 out of 5 stars
Collectors and military vehicles will be pleasantly pleased with the variety of artifacts that illustrate the book …
ByJohn Adams-Graf on January 5, 2016

A retired crime scene investigator, author Denny Hair has emerged as an expert on all-things Patton. This book is a result of thousands of hours of research and covers new information about General George S. Patton Jr. Hair has coupled personal, anecdotal accounts about Patton with hundreds of photos of the General, some of which have been colorized, and many never before published.
The book presents images from the rare and top secret Third Army After Action reports and promises to be the first of a series of books covering Patton and his Third Army during WWII.
Patton Hidden in Plain Sight sheds a view onf the General and his world unlike any book. Any Patton enthusiast will obviously treasure this book for the rare photos and staff recollections it shares. Collectors and military vehicles will be pleasantly pleased with the variety of artifacts that illustrate the book as well.—JAG

5.0 out of 5 stars
Will be of great interest for military historians and Patton fans
By C. O’Connoron November 5, 2015

Interesting view of General Patton, presenting many not widely known historical events and published photographs. Will be of great interest for military historians and Patton fans.

5.0 out of 5 stars
A SUPERB VOLUME ON PATTON CONTAINING INFORMATION AND PHOTOS WHICH HAVE RARELY BEEN PUBLISHED!, March 1, 2016
By Earl S. Wolcott

This review is from: Patton Hidden in Plain Sight:The Story of Patton and his Third Army, Hidden in Print for 75 years: The Images Uncovered (Paperback)
I’ve been studying GEN George S. Patton, Jr. for better than 50-years and I’ve read two dozen biographies, but I was amazed at the amount of information and facts I’d never seen before contained in this first volume of a projected three-volume series on Patton. I’ve also collected a number of wartime photographs of Patton and seen many more in pictorial volumes on Patton, but this volume truly contains pictures which were “hidden in plain sight”. All in all, a treasure trove of information for anyone interested in Patton. Well done Denny!